The invention relates to female electrical contact terminals for conveying a high current. The invention is particularly -but not exclusively- suitable for use in electrical connectors that are subjected, in use, to intense vibrations.
There already exist female electrical contact terminals designed to receive a substantially cylindrical male terminal, having a rear shank for connection to an electrical conductor and a forwardly-open annular portion designed to receive the male terminal and subdivided by axial slots, regularly distributed circumferentially, into finger each of which has a radially thickened end so as to present a radially inwardly directed end projection.
By way of example, a terminal described in document FR-A-2 596 210 has fingers which in rest condition define an entrance cross-sectional area that is greater than the cross-section of the male contact, and which are moved inwardly onto the male contact by a slider secured to a movable fraction of an insulation which is urged by a spring towards a position in which it presses the fingers against the male terminal.
That structure has advantages: in particular it reduces the insertion force required for coupling the terminals together. On the other hand, it suffers from the drawbacks of requiring parts which should be moved relative to one another and it is detrementally affected by severe vibrations.